Slip a Sable Under the Tree
by pandorabox82
Summary: Penelope gets caught by her Secret Santa recipient, though she finds that that leads to the happiest holiday outcome for her.


"Just what are you doing in my office, Ms Garcia?"

Penelope stiffened as she dropped the present that had been in her hands onto Erin's desk. Standing up, she tried to control her blush as she rubbed her lips together as she focused her eyes on the woman's chin, not wanting to see the irritated expression Penelope was certain was on her face. "Um, surprise? I'm your Secret Santa this year. You weren't supposed to catch me, since Helen said your meeting would still be going for another fifteen minutes."

"Well, it adjourned early, do to the fact that we were all actually prepared this week. That is a rare occurrence, and I was planning on getting a start on my work for the budget meeting I have tomorrow with the Director. Please, leave."

She nodded and scurried from the room, not giving the woman another look as she closed the door behind her. "A little warning would have been nice!" she hissed at Helen, and the woman shrugged a little as she gave her a sheepish smile.

"I didn't know that she had come back early until she appeared in front of my desk. It happens with her sometimes."

Penelope nodded and let out a long sigh. "I hope that she at least likes what I got her. I didn't imagine that it would be so difficult to buy for her."

"She is an enigma. Though I hope I was able to steer you towards some good choices."

"I hope so, too. Well, it's back to work for me. Alpha team is out on a brutal case, and I'm trying to make certain that they're home in time for Christmas. Hotch and Jayje deserve to be with their families at this time of year." Helen grinned as she nodded, waggling her fingers at Penelope as she left the office and headed back to the bullpen. Anderson was shaking the large gift she had seen Gina set on his desk early that morning, and she shook her head, knowing that he would never guess what was inside. That was why she loved this time of year, since it brought about the most opportune ways to give people a true gift of love and affection, even if they might never know who gave it. Unless you were unlucky like her and ended up getting caught delivering said Secret Santa gift.

Letting out a frustrated huff of breath, she went back over to her desk and collapsed down onto her chair, twirling around a few times in order to lose some of the uptight feelings she was harboring in her chest. It was only on her third go round that she noticed the small gift on her desk, next to her keyboard, and she planted her feet firmly on the ground before scooting over to the desk and picking the package up. Since this wasn't the last gift, she wasn't surprised to find that there was no indication of who had given it to her, but she still couldn't help but wonder who it was. All members of Alpha team were off the table, since they were away on a case, though one of them could have given instructions to someone else in the building to deliver. Shaking her head a little, Penelope carefully unwrapped the gift, revealing a small jewelry box. Upon opening that, she let out a small gasp to see a delicate jeweled pin resting on a bed of velvet.

"Well, whoever has me knows what I like," she whispered as she picked up the pin and affixed it to her blouse. Since her searches were still running, she picked up her laptop and began to search for the last gift for Erin, knowing that she couldn't go quite as over the top as she had wished. After all, Erin knew who was giving her the gift now, so she didn't have the element of surprise any longer. Still, knowing that she was into needlepoint allowed her to narrow down an appropriate final gift for her, since they were due to be delivered Friday. Trawling through Etsy, she managed to find a kit based off Klimt's _Adele_ painting, and gasped at how perfect it would be. Glancing at the seller, she saw that the shop was local to them, and it only took her a minute to contact her, asking if they could meet at her favorite coffee shop, so that she wouldn't have to deal with the post office and would be able to wrap the package for Erin to open on Friday.

After sending out the message, she went back to working on her searches for the team, pausing only to let out a happy gasp when she received a reply from the seller, agreeing to meet her at the café at one. Glancing up at her clock, she saw that that would work perfectly well, so she replied with a yes before checking out like asked by the seller. The rest of her day seemed to slow to a crawl, and she absently reached up numerous times to touch her new pin as she waited for the time to reach half past noon. Finally, it was the correct time, and she grabbed her purse out of her desk before scurrying down to the elevators.

While she was waiting for the elevator to arrive, Erin came clacking down the hall, and Penelope gave her a shaky smile before waving a little. The woman arched an eyebrow at her, which shook her confidence, and her shoulders slumped involuntarily as the elevator doors slid open. "Enjoy your lunch, Ms Garcia." The nice words were enough to her ear, and she glanced up to meet the woman's eye, seeing that there was a slightly amused expression on her face. "That's a beautiful pin. Antique, by the look of it. Did your Secret Santa bring that this morning?"

"Y-yeah. I'm trying to figure out which of Alpha gave it to me, since it's perfect for who I am, and only someone who works closely with me would know how much I adore peacocks." She once more reached up to brush her fingers against the cool metal, watching Erin's eyes track the movement. "Well, I need to catch the elevator. Have a good day!" Erin nodded a little as she stepped away from Penelope and headed to her office as Penelope got into the elevator.

Once the doors slid closed, she let out a long breath before shaking her head a little. That was the longest conversation they had had since Erin had returned to the BAU following her encounter with John Curtis, and she wondered what the woman had been going through, since she had managed to shut most of them out after what happened. Penelope understood, she had tried to do much the same after she had been shot, Hotch had done the same after being attacked by Foyet, and even Emily had found that she couldn't be around them after trying to return to them after what Doyle did to her. The only difference between them and Erin was the fact that someone had cared enough to reach out and make certain that they were all right. The one thing that she was still upset with Rossi over was his willingness to give up on the woman so quickly. From the way they had interacted in New York, before Curtis had tried to kill Erin, before he had marked her like Penelope and Aaron and Emily had been marked, she knew that the woman had been fast falling deeply in love with him. But when she had returned to the BAU, taking back over from Cruz, their relationship had been dead in the water.

"I just need to reach out more, to try and draw her out of her shell," Penelope murmured as the elevator came to a stop on the ground floor, and she shoved her hands in her pockets before taking off down the street in the direction of the café. While she waited for the seller to appear, Penelope ordered a light lunch and a large latte, knowing that she would need the caffeine later on in the day. Taking a seat near the window, she pulled out her phone and began to catch up on her emails while she ate, only looking up from her device when she heard someone cough to get her attention. "Dakota?" she asked as she looked up into the smiling face of a man much younger than she had been expecting.

"Penelope! The barista pointed me in your direction, and from the look on your face, I am not who you were expecting."

She shook her head a little as she gestured for him to take a seat across from her, and he set his mug down on the table before doing so. "I was honestly expecting a little old lady, though the name Dakota should have tipped me off about the age, at least." Dakota laughed a little before sipping his coffee. "And let me say again, I am so happy that you agreed to meet me in a public space to hand over the kit. I always try to support indie creators, so I really didn't want to have to head to a big craft store to try and find something like this."

"I get it. I try to do the same thing. This is a Christmas gift?"

"Of sorts. We have a secret Santa exchange going on at work this year, and the person I drew does needlepoint. I'm not completely certain what her skill level is, but if she's as meticulous with her hobbies as she is her work, I know that she'll enjoy the challenge this kit will bring her."

Dakota nodded as he handed over a plastic bag, and she marveled at the weight of it in her hands. "I think that she'll enjoy it, yeah. And if you need any other kits, just message me through Etsy, and we can meet up here. Now, I hate to run, but I need to get to the post office before I need to get back to work. Have a great day!"

He picked up his cup and then headed out of the café. Penelope waited until he was gone before opening the bag and taking a look at the kit. It was much larger in person than she had imagined in her head, and she hoped that it wouldn't prove too challenging for Erin, since the pattern looked quite detailed. All she knew was that it was a gorgeous piece of work, and she truly hoped that Erin would like it. After finishing up her meal, Penelope went back to the BAU and got back down to work, suddenly looking forward to Friday and seeing Erin's face when she opened her secret Santa gift.

The three days between her purchase of the kit and Friday passed so slowly, and Penelope found herself extremely keyed up over Erin's reception of her gift. She had even taken time to write the woman a lengthy letter, opening herself up a little as she held out an olive branch of friendship towards the woman, telling her that she understood why she didn't want to let people in, in hopes that there could be a real connection formed between them in the future. Stepping off the elevator early Friday morning, she took a deep breath as she made her way up to her office to boot her systems up before going to deliver Erin's gift.

Penelope was surprised to see the woman in question standing outside her door, a medium sized gift in her hands, looking like she wanted to flee at any moment. A low giggle spilled from her lips as she climbed the stairs, and that sound caught Erin's attention, causing her to look over at Penelope, a sheepish smile on her lips. "I don't know who set up the exchange this year, but I drew your name, Ms Garcia. That was why I was so abrupt with you the other day. I assumed that you had found me out, not that you were my Santa."

"Fate has quite the sense of humour at times, it seems," she replied as she tapped in her passcode and let them into the office. "Give me one second to wake up Persephone, and then we can exchange our final gifts." Erin nodded as she took a seat on Penelope's sofa, crossing her ankles delicately as she looked at the present in her lap. Penelope couldn't help but smile as she began to start her system for the day, knowing that that would take a little time. Setting down her bag, she pulled her own gift out and joined Erin, hugging it to her chest as she waited for her to make the first move.

"I hope that you like this. I picked David's brain after I bought the peacock pin, because I didn't want to go too overboard with a theme, but he wasn't much help. So I truly hope that you like this. Please, though, don't read the card until after I've gone back to my office." Their eyes met, and Penelope could see the fine sheen of tears there that Erin refused to shed. Nodding a little, she held out her gift to Erin before taking the light box from Erin's outstretched hand and settling it on her lap.

"I wish that I could wrap this well. It looks so professional, but I know that you did it."

Erin blushed a little as she picked at the tape on the package in her lap. "I am too much of a perfectionist at times."

"That is perfectly okay. And…since you asked me to wait on reading my card, I'm going to ask you to do that same. Because I just think that it would be better that way." Erin gave her a small smile as she nodded. "All right, I'm going to tear into this package because I want to see what you decided fit me the best." Erin nodded and began to open her gift, which signaled to Penelope that she could also begin to see what was inside. Fighting her natural urge to just rip the paper off the box, she instead took her time to remove the tape carefully, unfolding the paper from the box and setting it aside before lifting the lid off the box. On the very top rested a new headband, full of feathers and sequins, and a happy squeal escaped her lips as she pulled off her current headband and slipped the new one into place. "How does it look?"

"It looks great. It fits all right? I had to guess on fit and material, since I've never…"

"You made this for me?!" Erin blushed as she nodded. "Holy frak, Erin, that is amazing! Thank you." Quick tears prickled her eyes as she reached out to squeeze the woman's arm gently. "I am going to wear this for the next week straight, because I think I can build at least seven different outfits around it."

"I'm glad you like that one. Tabitha was my guinea pig, so there's a different, but similar, headband floating around out there."

"That's so sweet." She squeezed Erin's hand once more before pulling her hand back in order to pull out the tissue paper that was still in the box. Another gasp slipped from her lips when she saw the framed photo staring back up at her. "This, this is too much, Erin."

"I know that you like science fiction, and I seem to remember seeing you and Doctor Reid dressed up as characters from Doctor Who when David and I were leaving the hotel that morning before the bank heist. I didn't think that you would have had the opportunity to meet Tom Baker yet, so…"

"I don't know how you were ever labelled the Ice Queen, Erin. Because these gifts you've given me over the course of the last two weeks? They prove that you know me, that you've seen me, and I can only hope that my gifts are not seen as childish."

Erin shook her head a little as she finished opening her gift. "Penelope, this is not childish. This is…you're the only one who has ever taken the time to acknowledge my hobbies, outside my children. And this is one of my favorite painters. How did you know?"

"I didn't, I just saw the kit on Etsy and it seemed like it would be something you would enjoy. I hope that it's doable, the seller told me that it was one of his most difficult kits."

"I've been itching for a challenge. It helps keep the cravings at bay, and since my nights my own, well, I need something to keep my hands busy."

"I know of a way to keep your hands busy," she said somewhat saucily before she could put her filter in place, and she blushed and winced. "Frak. I always flirt with you at the most inappropriate times. I'm sorry. Old habits die hard."

Daring enough to glance up into Erin's face, she saw that the woman was giving her a soft smile, which helped her to relax a little as she shrugged. "I don't mind the flirting, now that I understand where it's coming from. Not that I'm going to expect you to start doing it all the time, but I'm not quite so uptight about it now."

"Good. Because you're part of the family, and Jayje will tell you that I flirt with everyone. Well, almost everyone. For as much as I like Alex, I have the feeling that she would not be quite so appreciative of my banter."

"You would be surprised, Penelope." The use of her first name caught her off guard a little, and she furrowed her brow a little, hoping that Erin would elaborate. "There is a wicked sense of humor hiding behind her placid face."

"I'll have to try flirting with her then, the next time she calls for information." She winked at Erin before picking up the card that was inside the box, twirling it absently between her fingers as she watched Erin's face. "Seriously, thank you for being so kind to me. I know that it's been difficult for you to come back here, and I just wanted to help that process along, since you fought so hard to come back."

Erin smiled softly as she reached out and patted Penelope's knee softly. "There is something about your spirit that makes people want to be kind to you. I, I need to get to my office now."

"Of course. Though we could head out for lunch together today?" The smile on Erin's face grew as she nodded. "Excellent. Just call my office, and I can put a pin in whatever I'm doing when you're ready." She rose to her feet along with Erin, and then took a deep breath. "But while we're here, alone, do you mind if I hug you? You don't have to say ye…"

Before she could finish her sentence, Erin stepped forward and hugged her tightly. "I don't mind hugs, no," she whispered in her ear before patting her back a few times. And then she was heading out the door without another word, leaving Penelope to watch after her.

"Well, that was unexpected," she murmured as she closed the office door and then took a seat in her chair, using her thumbnail to break the seal on her card. Penelope found that she had to know what it was that Erin had written her, what she considered so personal that she didn't want it read in front of her, and her hand trembled a little as she pulled the card from the envelope. Opening it, she saw that Erin had stuffed a letter on lined paper inside it, though she had written a personal message along with the date on the card itself. Reaching out, she tacked the card onto the board with her other Christmas cards before relaxing in her chair and unfolding the letter Erin had written.

The elegant script filled both side of two sheets of paper, and she wondered a little at just what had caused Erin to open her heart to her. It wasn't until she reached the third paragraph that she started to cry a little, suddenly knowing why Erin hadn't wanted to be in the room when she read this, just in case she reacted poorly. "This explains so much," she murmured as she turned the page over to read on, her heart clenching almost painfully when she read the tender admission on the page. _I've found in the last three months that I want something to change in my life, and I wasn't quite certain of what that might be until someone decided that it would be a good idea to run an interdepartmental Secret Santa exchange. David, in his infinite wisdom, decided that he knew me better than I know myself. He may or may not have been correct, though I will not tell him that, he does not need a larger head than he already has. But he knows I need a friend here, that I need to reach out to the one soul who might understand who I am now. Funnily enough, that turns out to be exactly who I received as my Secret Santa recipient. _

_ I told Agent Hotchner once, a long while ago, that I don't do talking to other people, and that's true and has long been my downfall. But I think that I can trust you enough to be that person I talk to and let into my life. I would understand if you didn't want to take on the burden of a friendship with your superior, but I'm also trusting you enough to be kind in rejection, should it come…_

Penelope's eyes swam with tears by that point in the letter, and she set it aside for a moment in order to clear her eyes before taking a deep breath and finishing up the letter. She didn't know why she was surprised that such a tender heart was buried deep inside Erin's chest, but she was and she knew that she wanted to get to know the woman behind her boss better. Letting out a tiny sigh, she got to her feet, affixing her Bluetooth in her ear before heading down to the break room and making herself a cup of coffee. Knowing that she couldn't leave things in such a nebulous place with Erin, Penelope took a steadying breath as she left the bullpen and headed towards her office.

Helen was behind her desk, typing away, though she looked up as soon as she noticed Penelope standing there. "What is it, Penelope? Are you all right?"

"My eyes are puffy, aren't they?" she asked, tapping at the space beneath her eyes with her fingertips, still finding the skin wet. "I am perfectly all right, I just need to talk with Chief Strauss for a few moments. Is she free?"

Helen looked at the phone before back up at her. "She's not on a call, so I don't see why you can't just head right in."

She nodded, giving Helen a shaky smile as she shook out her shoulders a little, trying to find the courage to take the next step in their relationship. Knowing it would be easier just to rip the bandage off, she headed over to the door and let herself in. "Uh, Erin?" she asked as she closed the door, not looking for her just yet.

"On the sofa, Penelope."

She turned her head to look in that direction, unsurprised to find that the woman was already sorting the thread for her new project. Taking a closer look at Erin's face, though, she saw that there were tracks of tears wetting her cheeks, and that caused her to let out a shaky breath as she strode over to her side and took a seat. "I would love to be your friend," she said without preamble, knowing that if she waited much longer to say them, she would start crying once more, finding herself strangely fragile in Erin's presence. "I'm not sad, just so you know, well, okay, I am. But it's a sad for you, not because of you. If you had reached out at any point, I would have gladly brought you into my circle."

"John did a number on my psyche, Penelope. And the rehabilitation took so much out of me. The only good thing that came from my brush with death is that Alex and I are talking, though we're nowhere near as close as we once were. Which I understand. I am not a healthy person to be friends with. I've hurt so many people close to me. You read that in my letter, and you still want to try to be friends?"

Erin never looked up at her as she spoke, instead keeping her eyes focused on the threads, and Penelope knew that she was also just as fragile as Penelope was in that moment. "Yeah, I do. I think that I've wanted to be more than colleagues since the bank heist. I have vague memories of chatting with you at Jayje's wedding, but I was also ten sheets to the wind because of the whole Kevin situation, so I don't remember what all we talked about. Though I do also have vague recollections of us dancing together, while I was waiting for my Uber to arrive?"

Erin let out a little laugh as she finally looked up at Penelope. "We did slow dance, once everyone else had gone. David had some rather salacious things to say once you were on your way home…"

"Oh?"

A deep blush stole over Erin's face, extending down to her chest, causing Penelope to giggle nervously in response. "He has long had a one-track mind in regards to certain things. He would never act on those urges, but he had no such compunctions about describing his fantasies to me." She reached up and touched her hair, tucking a piece behind her ear before giving Penelope a shy smile. "I must say, he was quite…inventive."

"And I am so going to use that against him when I need to twist his arm for something here! Oh, I won't go into details, but a little light blackmail never hurt anyone."

Erin laughed before pressing her hand tightly to her mouth. "You are both incorrigible people."

"Hey, as long as I can make you smile, I've done my job right." Hoping that she wasn't overstepping any marks, Penelope leaned in and took hold of Erin's free hand before pressing her lips lightly to her cheek. "And friendships make great foundations to something more, if that's what we both want. Or have I read the signals and clues wrong?"

"I thought that I was being a little more cryptic, but somewhere along the line, it looks like you learned to read me like an open book."

"It was actually the looks that you gave Blake that clued me in to that facet of your personality. Because the way you looked at her, when you thought no one else was looking, was so full of a regret that went beyond what you did in the professional setting." Erin blushed a little as she nodded. "I'll want to hear that story, one day, when you trust me enough to be that vulnerable. We have to start small, after all. Even if I have already asked you to talk dirty to me."

"Even if that. Changing the subject to something that I can control, this is going to be a year long project for me. Thank you. I truly needed this challenge. And if you're thinking about birthday gifts, another kit from this same designer would be really nice. I'm loving their work already."

Penelope gave her a wide smile as she nodded. "I think that that can be arranged. Now, I suppose that we should probably do some work before we head out to lunch. I've changed my mind, let's head out at noon and take a long lunch. It is the holiday season, after all." Leaning in close once more, she looked into Erin's eyes and allowed her voice to drop into the husky tone that had always driven Kevin and Derek wild. "Though if you really want to be my Santa baby, you'll need to slip a sable under my tree."

Erin's pupils dilated as she let out a shaky breath of her own. "Maybe you should be the one to do that, Penelope. Though if I get to be under the tree, wrapped up in the sable, I might change my mind. Not this Christmas, though. And maybe not even next Christmas. But…"

"I can wait. Waiting makes the heart grow fonder, after all." Penelope smiled before squeezing Erin's hand and then getting to her feet. "All I know is that if I stay here much longer, I'll never be able to find the willpower to leave. So, until our lunch, have a great day."

"I'll try, as long as you try to do the same." Penelope nodded before blowing a kiss to Erin and leaving her office, humming "Santa Baby" beneath her breath as she sashayed back to her office. And even though Rossi may have set this particular ball into motion, she knew that she would be the one to see it reach the right goal in the end.


End file.
